n the
sand beneath it they struck their first clam. That clam, measured in its
shell, was exactly seven inches long and a little more than five inches
wide, while the shell itself was almost as white as the shell of an egg.

When Merry turned up this clam, Hans staggered and sat down on the sand
with great violence, and there he sat, staring and muttering:

"Vot der tyrful vos dot? Uf dot don'd peen der varter uf all glams, you
vos a liar! I don'd pelief I efer seen anyding like dot pefore in all
your porn tays!"

"Hurrah!" cried Merry. "Here's proof the fishermen down this way are not
all liars, or do not lie about everything. They told me this was the
kind of game we should find here."

"But this must be unusual," said Diamond. "Can't all of them be like
this."

"They say so."

"Well, they cannot be very good to eat. They must be too tough."

"On the contrary, I have heard they are splendid eating. Here is
another! By Jove, it's fully as large as the first!"

Hans sat still on the sand and stared straight at the first clam turned
out. Frank looked at him and saw the Dutch boy appeared on the verge of
bursting into tears.

"What's the matter, Dunnerwust?" he asked.

"I vos peginnin' to seen things queer," replied Hans. "Vot do I think?
Vale, uf dot glam don'd look like der mug an Irishman of, you vos a
liar! Uf I kept on seein' things like dot to remindt me vot dot man in
gray said, id vill drife me to trink ur to sluicide!"

They had brought along a bucket, and it did not take long to fill it
with these large clams. Then they emptied it into the bottom of the boat
and found another bucketful before stopping. With those they returned to
the boat.

"We will go ashore on Devil Island, where there are plenty of rocks of
all kinds, and seaweed, and there we'll have a clambake," said Merry.
"There is wood enough on Devil Island, too, and it is nearer to the
yacht."

The sound of their oars brought Hodge on deck.

"What luck?" he asked, as they approached.

"Great luck," answered Frank. "Get in, and we will take you ashore over
yonder, where we are going to have a clam roast."

The clam hoe was passed up to Bart, and then he swung down into the
boat, and soon all were ashore on the island of mystery.

Frank began constructing an oven amid the rocks, sending the others for
fuel and seaweed. It did not take long to make preparations for the
bake, and soon a roaring fire was blazing, as a lot of dry wood h